Evangeline's Original Caramel Corn

New Hampshire, where I grew up, has plenty of small, local artisans and small batch gourmet food brands, such as Van Otis Chocolates.

Van Otis was started in 1935-ish by a woman, Evangeline Hasiotis, in Manchester, NH.  Her first real storefront didn't show up until 1958, when the company was also given its official name, Van Otis (which comes from a few letters of her first and last names).  Fudge is their specialty.  And while I do like chocolates, that alone wouldn't cause me to take any note of this company.  But they also have a second product line: Evangeline's Popcorn.  As you may know, I'm an avid snacker, and in particular, have a weakness for popcorn.

But Evangeline's Popcorn isn't actually their creation.  They purchased Hutchinson’s Candy in 2020, who was known for their popcorn line, and just rebranded it.  Anyway.

"Evangeline's Popcorn is a sweet treat sure to make life a little sweeter for kids of all ages!"

They make two styles of kettle corn (white chocolate covered or regular salted "seaside"), and two styles of caramel corn (original or maple).  I had only the original caramel corn, when it was in my Christmas stocking this year (thanks, Santa!).

Original Caramel Corn.

"Popped fresh in-house in New Hampshire at Van Otis Chocolates, this caramel popcorn features light, airy popcorn coated in sweet, buttery caramel. A classic treat made for easy snacking and sharing."

The popcorn pieces themselves were large, fluffy, and well popped.  No duds.

The popcorn is very classic butter toffee style caramel corn.  Incredibly sweet, and each piece is very well coated, so there is no escaping the sweet.  No partially coated pieces to give you a slight sweet break, should you want that.  The flavor is intensely buttery (in addition to the sweetness).  It tastes rich and decadent.

I liked it, but this is not a popcorn that I could accidentally devour the whole bag in just a few minutes, as it got to be too sweet for me.  I found myself wanting to mix it with some plain, salted, or even cheesy corn, or to at least have some peanuts in it, or even use it as an ice cream topping.  Good, but just a bit too much, although I don't necessarily consider it a bad thing that a bag lasted more than one sitting for me.

For this style of popcorn, it was quite good, but this isn't what I generally would pick as a top choice.  3/5 for me, although I can acknowledge that quality wise it is a 4/5.

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Alf Bakery, NYC

New York City obviously has a lot of bakeries.  Many are known for a signature thing, e.g. the cronut from Dominique Ansel Bakery, the cupcake (or banana pudding) from Magnolia, the Milk Bar Pie (née Crack Pie) from Milk Bar, etc.  Sure, these places have plenty of other great things, but, there is one item that is a bit unique, and really put them on the map.

And such is the case for Alf Bakery, a small bakery located in Chelsea Market.  They make breads, viennoiserie, pastries, babka, and sandwiches, but if you ask anyone if they've heard of Alf, they'll probably say, "oh, yeah, the laminated baguette place!"  Because, as far as I know, they are the only ones making this hybrid bread.  I've had soooo many people tell me to seek it out, particularly given that our office is close by.

But I never prioritized it.  Sure, I like croissants, but in a city filled with so many epic baked goods, this seemed hard to prioritize.  And then, just like that, in early December 2025, Alf announced that they were closing at the end of the month (possibly relocating?).  Oh noes.  Well, now I had FOMO, and HAD to prioritize it when I was in town for a week for a summit.

But a co-worker beat me to it.  He went and picked up a loaf, and bought it back to the office to share.  Excellent!

Seeded Laminated Baguette. $10.50.

He selected the seeded laminated baguette, a great choice.  It came wrapped in a traditional baguette bag.

Alf Bakery also makes a non-seeded version, and regular baguettes as well, but the seeded laminated one is probably the most famous.  You can also get simple French sandwiches on them, e.g. ham and cheese.  We had just the baguette, all that as needed, really.

Seeded Laminated Baguette.

I ripped off a hunk.  My reaction was immediate.

Wow, this really was as unique and interesting as people say it is.

It was flaky and messy like a croissant (and even more so with the seeds), had all the deep butteriness of a croissant, but then ... woah, had the exterior and chew of a baguette?  So fascinating.  And it worked.  It really, really worked.

It was delicious to just eat a hunk like this, but I think it would be great with cream cheese, or stuffed with smoked salmon and creme fraiche ...

I don't understand why these aren't a thing at more places.  I'm glad I finally got to try this, and now mourn the fact that it will be my last (at least for a while).

4/5.

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Alaska Airlines, Flight 20, SFO-JFK

Update Review, December 2025 Flight

I know this by now, but, it does still always slightly surprise me.  The Alaska first class experience really is ... nothing like any of the competition.  And I don't mean that in a good way.  It just is lackluster on nearly every dimension - seat comfort (horrible!), layout (2-2), amenities (super thin blanket, nothing else), wine selection (just one red, one white, one sparkling), attentiveness and service ... communication ... but, it is sooo much cheaper than everyone else, and thus, I'm stuck with it.

Our flight did disconnect from the jet bridge on time, so technically pushback on time, but we spent quite a while waiting around, and eventually joined the queue of planes in line for takeoff.  No proactive communication nor information provided, unlike other airlines that well tell you "Well, we've pushed back, but we are waiting on X" or even "We are number Y for takeoff".  Just, nothing.  

In fact there was just no communication from the flight deck at all.  The seatbelt sign was literally never turned off the entire flight, and no mention of this was made.  We hit some fairly significant turbulence, and no warning given.

The FAs served us our meal, cleaned it up, and vanished.  So, service-wise, eh.  Comfort? Miserable, my back hurt within 15 minutes.  But they got me, and my bags, there, relatively on time, and it was cheap (comparatively).

Menu.

The menu had 5 options: 1 meat, 1 chicken, 1 seafood, 1 vegetarian, or the standard fruit/cheese platter.  It was filled with things that were all almost tempting.  I didn't want the short rib or broccolini, but wanted the chow-fun rice noodles and roasted butternut squash that came with that dish.  I read so many great reviews of the shrimp option, and I like shrimp, but I wasn't excited about the risotto, the favas, nor the lime sauce that completed the dish.  People love the vegetarian curry, and I like cauliflower, but I'm not thrilled about turmeric or cumin spices, nor the rice and edamame sides.  And a cheese platter isn't a meal to me.  And thus, a crazy choice on my part: chicken ravioli.

"Red Wine" & Seltzer.

Drink orders were taken once underway, and our pre-orders for meal confirmed.  I asked for the red wine; the FA didn't know what varietal it was.  I also had sparkling water, just standard Polar brand.  The red wine was inoffensive, but also quite boring.  As is standard with Alaska.  No nuts were provided, which I had forgotten they don't do.  Not that I necessarily wanted them, but it did feel like yet another bit of lesser service, a missing element.

Meal.

Our meals were served about an hour after takeoff, row by row.  On the tray was my main dish I expected, plus a small side salad, roll, and ... wow, and appetizer too?  I wasn't expecting that.  The menu online and in the app didn't give any details on these other elements, so the salad toppings and existence of an appetizer were a surprise to me.  Also included were salt & pepper, Sysco butter, and balsamic vinaigrette.  I didn't particularly like the meal, but much of that was my own preferences, not a fault of the catering.

Carrots.

The appetizer was chilled cooked and spiced carrots, sprinkled with I think feta, and sliced almonds.  I guess they were fine, but I mostly only like raw carrots, I dislike feta, and wasn't into the spicing.  If this was listed on the menu, I would have asked to skip it.  I used the almonds and the springs of whatever the green were on my own creation of a dish using bits and pieces from all of the others.  I can't really judge this, as it just isn't something I like, but I don't think there was anything wrong with it.

Roll.

The roll was warm, soft, and loaded with seeds.  It was decent.  It didn't taste stale nor dried out.  Good to soak up sauce. 3/5.

Salad.

The salad was pretty small, and not exciting to me: arugula (fresh enough, crisp), with sunflower seeds and tons of dried cranberries.  I picked off the toppings the best I could as I didn't want them, and added my own salad ingredients and some components from the other dishes to at least utilize the arugula.  I don't like balsamic vinaigrette so I didn't try that, but I had my own condiments bag with me. 2.5/5, there was nothing wrong with this, just not toppings/dressing I care for.

Smoked Chicken Ravioli.

"Smoked chicken ravioli in a caramelized onion cream, paired with roasted kabocha squash and garlic shallots, finished with aromatic dukkah spices."

And finally, the main dish, the ravioli.

This was a mixed bag for me, as expected.  I got this because 1) I love kabocha squash, 2) I loved the idea of garlic shallots, 3) caramelized onion cream sounded great, and 4) I have had some great pasta on Alaska flights before.  I choose to look past the fast that, well, I hate chicken, and didn't really want dukkah spice.

The highlight?  100% that squash.  It was super flavorful, well cooked (not mushy), and there were two good size pieces of it.  I was very happy with that squash.  4.5/5 squash.  The garlic shallots really seemed to just be soft cooked shallots (I didn't detect garlic) but they were pretty delightful too. 4/5.

Then there was the sauce ... I wanted to love it, but the first few bites, I was really displeased with it.  I'm not quite sure why, but I just wasn't into it.  It was a orangey color that made my brain think squash, and it was a mushy puree like baby food, so nothing like what I was picturing as a caramelized onion cream.  I wanted it to be less puree-like, more cream forward, and, well, just something different.  But once I adjusted to it, I did appreciate the sorta oniony taste to it.  I used it as a sauce on my salad and stuffed pieces of bread with it, and did lap it all up.  3/5 sauce.

Ravioli: Inside.

And then of course the ravioli.  4 very large size pieces, much larger than standard ravioli.  They were kinda over cooked, pretty soft.  However edges where there was no sauce were a bit dried out in a way that was almost like al dente, so I amusingly liked those bits more than the parts that were what I assume was "properly" cooked.  The ravioli was stuffed very full of a ricotta? mixture, that had bits of chicken in it.  No big hunks of chicken or anything.  Kinda standard ricotta filling.  I'm pretty lukewarm on ricotta soft ravioli to begin with, so this was all pretty "meh" to me, but other than being kinda too soft/mushy, it was likely fine.  Low 2/5 for me, but, again partially due to preferences.

So overall, I'll give this a low 3/5: I was happy to use the sauce, veggies, and edges of the ravioli with my bread, almonds, arugula, and my own additional vegetables, but I can't say it was something I'd get again.

Dessert: Salt & Straw ice cream.

A while after our meals were cleared, ice cream was offered.  A seasonal Salt & Straw Alaska exclusive as always, this time, Peppermint Cookies & Cream.  I believe this was rotated in on Dec 1, after the Pumpkin Spice Latte I had in September that stuck around all fall.  It was served at a decent eating temperature, not rock solid.  No bowl provided, just the mini tub.

Salt & Straw Peppermint Cookies & Cream.

It was ... ok.  Mine wasn't properly sealed, and it was a bit freezer burnt.  I wanted more peppermint flavor.  I feel like a broken record here, but, I don't really like cookies & cream in general (really, I don't care for Oreos), so I wished it was something more like mint chip, but I think this is likely a crowd pleaser.  Low 3/5.

About an hour or so before landing a snack basket was passed with Lesser Evil cheddar popcorn, Community All Dressed chips, Kind granola bar (blueberry I think?), and lemon Skinny Dipped almonds.  I grabbed the popcorn and almonds, as always.

Update Review, August 2024 Flight

I don't fly with Alaska Airlines much (in fact, I hadn't flown with them at all until 2 years ago), so I am not yet well calibrated to the service and food standards.  Overall, it seems to me like a good compromise airline: the prices are generally lower, the food is decent, the service and amenities minimal, the comfort mediocre.  So, depending on your priorities, a compromise on something at least.

Flight Details:

• Flight #: 20
• Departure: 1:25pm (scheduled) 3:12pm (actual)
• Arrival: 9:25pm (scheduled) 
• Route: SFO to JFK
• Seat 3C

Service & Amenities

There is not much to say about Alaska amenities as there isn't much to them.  

Seatback.

Standard domestic first class seat, that at least has under seat storage, and a small cocktail table with cup holder, but little else.  Not a very comfortable seat, no adjustments other than recline.  Yay for a foot rest.  Thin blanket provided.  No pillow.  No seatback tvs.  Pay for wifi. It is fine for short flights, but definitely leaves much to be desired for transcon.

A pre-departure beverage of water, orange juice, or a can of sparkling wine was offered.  I selected the sparkling wine, and was handed the can.  Before takeoff, orders for drinks to have post departure were taken, and our pre-orders confirmed.  Those who didn't pre-order really did not fare well.  The first person got the chicken (only 1 loaded), the next two had a choice of salmon or pasta, the 4th person had only salmon option, and the rest ... sorry there is nothing.  No main dishes left.  This seems like a mis-cater? They were offered a snack box from the back.  Wow.

Service was not particularly friendly, and remarkably not proactive.  Empty drink glasses were never collected.  Refills never offered.  I saw every passenger need to lightly aggressively get attention to take their empty glasses away.  I was particularly amazed when I asked for two more drinks (water and wine), and was handed them, and the two empties I had on my tiny cocktail table were not taken as they were delivered.  He just gave me two more, even with no where to put them.  

Food & Drink

PDB: Waterbrook Brut Bubbles.

The pre-departure offering of sparkling wine was Waterbrook Brut.  The can was handed to me unopened, but chilled.  It wasn't bad really. I don't gravitate towards bubbles, but it had a nice balance of dryness and sweetness.  ***.

I'd get it again.

Wine & Sparkling Water.

Once underway, I started with red wine.  No choice of reds, and no explanation given of what varietal, let alone winemaker.  Served in what I think of as a water glass, tall and thin.  Not really what you want for red wine.  Anyway, it was fine, average, table wine though, very fruit forward, no real structure to it.  At least low acid and tanin. Bo-ring.  Low ***.

I also asked for sparkling water.  I was not given the option to decline ice.  It came with more ice than water, and I needed a refill nearly immediately.

Tip Top Old Fashioned.

Later on I moved on to an old fashioned, as I've enjoyed them before on Alaska flights (they are the canned Tip Top brand).  It was served with more ice than cocktail, and got watered down far too fast.  But otherwise was great, very boozy, very classic old fashioned. ***+.

Nuts.

Awhile after, not with our beverages, nuts were brought.  Lightly warm.  Good mix of almonds, cashews, and pecans.  Very low (if any?) salt level.  ***.

Finished beverages were not proactively cleared when the nuts were brought (a theme throughout the meal).

Menu.

Alaska does have a fair amount of variety in their meal choices, even for a domestic flight, I had 5 options, including fish (salmon), white meat (chicken), red meat (well, just sausage in a pasta), vegetarian, or, a cheese plate.  Pre-order was available.  

As I don't like cooked salmon, chicken, or quinoa/rice, my decision was easy.  Pasta it was, and the dish did sound pretty interesting, better than the standard ravioli choices so many airlines tend to do for pasta.  Shells, creamy cheese sauce, now we are talking!

All dishes are served with salad, bread, and dessert, although not listed on the menu.  Tray tables were not pre-set with table clothes prior to meals being delivered.

Tray.

My meal tray arrived unceremoniously and was served without a word, e.g. no "here we have the pasta" or anything.  My drinks were empty, but no refills were offered.  The tray included a salad, bread with pat of butter, and salt/pepper packet, along with napkin and cutlery. 

Roll.

The roll was warm, and not bad actually.   Simply white roll, but soft, good chew to it, and most importantly, not stale.  Better than average airline bread.  It was perfect for soaking up the chili crisp from the pasta, and the pesto from the salad. ***+.

Appetizer: Salad.

The salad was meager in the greens department, just some very sad compressed spinach that really didn't seem fresh.  The body of the salad was 3 balls of mozzarella, 4 juicy sundried tomatoes, and pesto.  The sundried tomatoes and pesto were both really quite flavorful, and I enjoyed them with the bread.

* greens, ** as a salad, but *** for those two components.   

Pasta Primavera with Italian Sausage.

"Pasta shells tossed in a creamy white cheddar cream sauce, served with summer squash, sun-dried tomatoes, edamame beans, and savory Italian sausage. Topped lightly with a chili crisp."

The main attraction, the pasta.

Well ... this was a very mixed bag.  As you can likely see, the "creamy white cheddar cream sauce" was ... not there.  At all.  It wasn't on the bottom of the dish.  It wasn't anywhere.  I was looking forward to that creamy cheese sauce, but alas, I had plain pasta.  That said, the shells were well cooked, not mushy, not totally dried out.  The chili crisp oil was flavorful, and added something to it at least.  The edamame were tender and tasted fresh if that makes sense, the sausage was actually very good, classic Italian sausage.  The tomatoes in here were different from the sundried tomato in the salad, they seemed just like roasted tomatoes, although the menu said they were sundried.  Juicy.  The squash I didn't care for at all, patty pans, that were just strangely bitter.

So, meh to the squash, yay to the sausage and chili crisp in particular, and better than average pasta, but a shame I didn't actually have any cheese sauce ... *** overall despite the lacking sauce.

Dessert: Salt & Straw Strawberry Rhubarb with Cinnamon Crumble.

We all finished our meals.  All trays were cleared.  No refills were offered.  No empty drink cups collected.  I thought ... dessert must be coming next right?  I waited and waited.  No sign of dessert.  An hour passed.  I finally asked if there was a dessert.  I was told there should have been.  The FA who I asked seemed as confused as me that it hadn't happened.  About 10 minutes later, it came out.  Served directly in the tiny tubs, with a far too big spoon to go with it.

It was Salt & Straw ice cream, as per usual with Alaska.  For the summer, they introduced two new flavors on flights, and I was quite happy to see that we had the strawberry rhubarb with cinnamon crumble flavor.  I don't think this is sold directly by Salt & Straw to consumers, I think it is a special collaboration with Alaska.  The ice cream featured swirls of strawberry rhubarb jam and cinnamon snickerdoodle cookie pieces.

It was served quite hard, but it did melt nicely eventually.  It was fabulous ice cream, smooth, rich, creamy, and the fruity swirls of jam were quite flavorful.  I liked the texture from the softened snickerdoodle bits.  It was a flavor I could enjoy on its own without adding too much to it (although, of course, I did add some fresh strawberries too).

****.

Original Review, August 2023 Flight

Flight Details

Flight: AS 20

Aircraft: 737-9 Max

Departure: SFO, 2:25pm

Arrival: JFK, 10:25 pm

Seat: 3D

Service

This was my second ever flight with Alaska Airlines, and my first longer flight (previously I had only flown SFO-SEA, which you can read about here).  We were slightly delayed boarding because the plane was deemed too hot to be safe (!), and then slightly delayed pushing back because bags were still being loaded, but, the delays were minor, we took off only 15 minutes late.  We had significant tailwinds helping us still arrive early.

No PDB, although there was boxed water at our seats.  No amenity kits, no pillow, but a thin blanket was waiting at our seat.  It was really quite cold on board, and the little blanket didn't do much to help.   The flight attendant was efficient, but barely spoke to us.  She wasn't unfriendly, she just ... didn't really talk to us.  No hello, meal trays dropped off without a word, no offers of refills, that sort of thing.

Food & Drink

The main meal served is ... linner.  The timing of the meal on this flight is definitely awkward, 3:40pm in SF time, 6:40pm in New York time.  Too late for lunch where we came from, too early for dinner, but, at what will be dinner time where we are headed.  When there was exactly 2 hours remaining, a snack basket was passed with Border Canyon chips, Lesser Evil popcorn, Kind bars, beef jerky, and Karma toasted coconut cashews.  I was pretty happy to see the popcorn, as it is definitely my snack of choice, and the flavored nuts definitely called out.  I've had many of Lesser Evil's popcorns before, but had never tried their basic Himalayan Gold, which is what the snack basket contained.  Drink refills were also offered.

Drink Menu.

Orders for our drinks were taken once underway. There was only one choice for red wine, even though the menu listed two. 

Seltzer, Nuts.

Our drinks were served with a small thing of nuts (almonds, cashews, tiny bits of pecans). Not warm.  The sparkling water was Polar seltzer.  I was given a (mini) can and ice, it wasn't poured for me.  No offer of lemon nor lime garnish.

Ste Chapelle Winery Red Blend.

I went for the red wine, which turned out to be Ste Chapelle Winery Red Blend.  This is a cheap $12 bottle, definitely not as premium of wine offerings as the competitors on this route.

It was non-offensive.  No complexity at all, but, not too much tanin nor acid, so it was fine.  ***.

Straightaway Oregon Old Fashioned.

"The Old Fashioned is revered for its versatility and simplicity. This variation on the classic speaks to wistful days spent in Milton-Freewater, OR, and we’ve transposed our fondness for the Pacific Northwest bouquet into our own bitters. Whether consumed around a mountain-top campfire or from the safety of your drawing room, tradition has it that one’s first Old Fashioned should be served by a friend."

Later on, I moved on to the Old Fashioned, which I'd had before.  I was handed a can, and glass of ice.  Not poured for me, no garnish.  I still thought it was a nice cocktail though, same as my previous review.  ***+.

Menu.

The menu was available online to pre-order, which I did.  Pre-order gave 5 options, 2 of which were pre-order exclusives (the fruit & cheese plate and vegetarian white bean chili).  I nearly went for the chicken dish, not for the chicken obviously, as I'm extremely chicken adverse, but, for the grits, asparagus, and lemon caper sauce, all things I quite like!  But I opted for the lemon fennel manicotti instead.  

For those who didn't pre-order, they could select from the 3 onboard choices.  Well, technically they could.  The steak ran out in row 1, seat A.  Um, yeah.  They loaded 1 for the entire non-preorder cabin!  The chicken ran out in row 3.  I was surprised how few people had pre-ordered, perhaps lots of upgrades?

Meal service was pretty quick, with the first row getting served at exactly the 1 hour post-takeoff mark, mine arrived within 10 more minutes.

Linner.

So at 3:40pm, my meal showed up.  I had eaten a fair amount in the lounge (mac and cheese!), and definitely wasn't particularly interested in food at this point.  Which turned out to be fine, as the meal was pretty lackluster.

Meals come all one one tray, with a roll, salad, the entree you ordered, along with butter, and packet of salt and pepper.

Bread, Butter, Dressing.

The roll was lightly warm.  Pretty average airline quality.  Not stale, but, not particularly good, no real crust to it, just, soft. 

Salad dressing was fairly solid, seemed to be lemon vinaigrette.  Butter also very solid, impossible to spread. 

**.

Salad.

The menu didn't provide any details on the salad, and everyone got the same.  It was just mixed greens, with a few bites of cooked beets, a few pickled red onions, and goat cheese.  Given that I loathe goat cheese, and don't really care for beets, this was a miss for me, but, I suspect if you liked those things, and liked the lemon vinaigrette, this was a decent salad.  The greens were fresh and crisp.  **+.

It was also served in a bowl that was kinda too small, it was hard to eat without bits falling out.

Lemon Fennel Manicotti.

"Lemon ricotta stuffed pasta | grilled baby fennel | tomato basil ragout."

The main dish was served moderately warm.  I certainly wanted it hotter.  The portion was three large manicotti, plus a decent amount of fennel and the chunky tomato ragout.  

The pasta was microwave dinner quality.  The pasta itself was not dried out or overcooked at least, but was as boring as it gets.  The filling was, well, ricotta.  Some minor lemon flavor.  Very, very boring, and essentially cafeteria/frozen dinner quality.  I gave up on it after eating one of the three tubes. *+ pasta.

I did like the fennel, it was well cooked and flavorful, and the chunks of tomato and onion in the ragout were tasty as well.  *** toppings.

I combined the salad + fennel + tomatoes + onions to make a quasi-ok dish, but I certainly wouldn't get this again.  I wish I had gone for the chicken, just for the grits, asparagus, and tasty sauce.

Salt & Straw Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons.

"Our reimagination of the classic. We spike our cream with just enough Guatemalan fleur de sel to bring out its nuances, then drizzle in ribbons of our hand-burned caramel."

After our trays were cleared, the flight attendant came through offering ice cream.  Just as I was shocked by how many people didn't pre-order, I was even more shocked by how many turned down the ice cream.  Yes, timing was odd, but ... Salt & Straw is good ice cream!  The flavor was Salt & Straw's most famous, sea salt with caramel ribbons, which I've had before, and loved.

It was served quite solid, so it took a while to become possible to eat it.  But once it softened, I dug right in.  It matched my memory of the flavor - nice quality base ice cream, and TONS of very gooey, very sweet, caramel.  I added my own fresh strawberries and sprinkles, and quite enjoyed.  And then I enjoyed an extra, which I volunteered to take off the flight attendants hands (so generous of me, right?).  She happily obliged, given how many extra there were.  ****.

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Fliptz

Sometimes, a girl just wants a sweet and salty snack to munch on.  When I passed by the Flipz fudge coated pretzels, I couldn't resist.  Why am I on such a snack food kick these days?

Update Review, January 2026

Milk Chocolate.

"The OG of snack time and the Flipz® squad. Rich milk chocolate combined with salty, crunchy pretzels makes Flipz® Milk Chocolate Covered Pretzels a snacking staple and favorite for all occasions."

These are fine, basic, milk chocolate pretzels.  The chocolate is creamy and just a notch above mediocre, sorta Hershey quality.  The pretzels are crunchy and well salted.  All pieces are evenly coated, none broken in my bag.  Basically, absolutely fine, but not notable in any way.  3/5, higher side.

Original Review: March 2013

White Fudge Coated Pretzels.

"The darling of the Flipz® squad, the one who wears white after Labor Day (and makes it look good). Salty, crunchy pretzels layered in creamy white fudge are the perfect snack to celebrate a sweet victory over deadlines, traffic, or even a long day."

My initial review of these was not good: the pretzels were pretty generic, a bit of salt on them.  The white fudge coating was kinda waxy and uninteresting, just sweet.  They met my desire to have something munchy, but not really the sweet and salty combo I was looking for.  I would not get again.

But since I had a full bag, I tried to find interesting uses for them.  One that I came up with, in a stroke of pure randomness, was dunking them into my butterscotch Snack Pack.  I didn't really like the butterscotch pudding.   I didn't really like the Flipz.  I wanted to like them both far more than I did.  But ... they actually combined in a way that made them greater than the sum of their parts.  Not that I really would get either again, but, it really worked.  So uh, if you have mediocre pudding and strange sweet pretzels, I recommend trying to combine them.  If nothing else, it is fun to at least dunk the pretzels in the pudding, and eat with your hands :)

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LeLeCha New York

Update Review, December 2025

Last summer, a friend checked out Lelecha soon after they first opened, and brought me day-old pieces of everything she got.  I was impressed then, even with day-olds, so I was excited to try more items.

This time, I got to try all three of the danish tarts they make: the butter caramel egg tart I had previously, plus the chocolate and tiramisu versions.  I remain impressed, and can't wait to try even more of the menu.

Butter Caramel Egg Tart. $6.30.

"Crafted with a rich 1:1.8 egg-to-milk ratio, the custard center is exceptionally silky and smooth. Hand-laminated pastry ensures long-lasting crispness, while the caramel sauce is slow-cooked by hand for deep, layered flavor."

This is the item I'd had before, but was more than happy to have again.

The custard really is what sets it apart.  Sooo silky smooth.  Barely eggy.  Beautifully burnt on top.  The large tart size means you get tons of custard filling, it is like eating an entire crème brûlée (... along with a nice pastry).  No notes really.  The flaky pastry shell is a nice vessel for it.

4/5, higher end.

Chocolate Tart. $7.25.

"Dusted with a thick layer of cocoa powder, this tart features a crisp, airy crust and a pudding-like custard center. Topped with rich dark chocolate and handcrafted chocolate crisps, it delivers deep, satisfying indulgence in every bite."

Next up, the chocolate sibling to the fantastic butter caramel egg tart I've enjoyed before.  Same flaky crust surrounding an oversized custard filling, this time a chocolate version, with plenty of cocoa powder and dark chocolate curls on top.  (Beware of the cocoa powder and accidentally inhaling, lol.)

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this as I do like chocolate desserts, but tend to not care for chocolate cheesecakes and similar things.

Except ... well, this wasn't a chocolate custard as I expected.  The filling was just the same egg custard, just smothered in cocoa powder.  I did love the chocolate curls, but, this wasn't really a dessert that delivered in the chocolate indulgence department, if that is what you are looking for.  For a "chocolate tart", really this gets a 3/5 or lower, but, that custard really is so good I didn't mind once I reset my expectations, so still a 4/5 overall.

Tiramisu Tart. $7.25.

"Infused with a signature coffee aroma, this tart offers a rich, multi-layered flavor experience. The handmade pastry is paired with a velvety cheese and egg custard center—together creating an indulgent, lava-like burst of creamy richness in every bite."

And finally, the tiramisu version.  

And ... yeah, this too was the same base egg custard (so good, but not tiramisu infused or anything), but then it did come topped with thick, rich, presumably mascarpone cream AND ladyfingers AND yes, tons of cocoa powder.  I didn't taste any coffee though, so not very tiramisu forward, but it was definitely the most unique of the tarts, and had so much at play: flaky pastry, silky egg custard, thick rich cream, light ladyfingers.

I really enjoyed this, even higher 4/5.  

Original Review, August 2025

I have wonderful friends.  Like ones who scope out new Asian bakeries, get more goodies than they can possibly eat, and bring me some to try.  In this case, from LeLeCha, a Taiwanese bubble tea and baked goods shop that recently opened in the US, with its first location in New York in July.

"Get ready for an extraordinary tea & pastry experience, where East meets West in every bite and sip.  From iconic Dirty Buns to artisan tea creations — we’re bringing something truly special to the streets of New York."

LeLeCha does focus on the tea side of things, as you'd probably guess from their name, but both my friend and I were drawn to their Asian baked goods.  The lineup includes sweet and savory breads, loaves, buns, a few other danish style pastries.  I got to try one item from each of the Toasts, Breads & Buns, and Danishes sections of the menu.  I did try them a day old, so, I try to take that into account, but they were still fantastic, and I'm sure even better a day sooner.  I'd gladly have more goodies from this place anytime.

Branding.

The goodies came in a Wonder branded box, which I'm not entirely sure I understand.  The brand is LeLeCha, but they have "Wonder" scattered about their materials too.  And no clue what the dog thing is about.  But it was a distinctive box!

Buttery Cloud Loaf, Dirty Bun,
Butter Caramel Egg Tart (all pieces).

My friend brought me a sampler box of hunks of each of the items she got.  These are just the small pieces that she saved me, which still filled up a full box!  Most of the items are quite large in full form.

Buttery Cloud Loaf.  $8.49.

"Wheat flour and butter are thoroughly mixed and kneaded for a soft, fluffy texture. The homemade milk custard filling adds creamy sweetness, making every bite tender and rich."

The one right in front is the buttery cloud loaf.  Such a soft and fluffy loaf!  It was lightly sweet in the way that most Asian sweet breads are, and the custard filling was just the right amount of creamy goodness inside.  I really enjoyed it just as a snack, ripping off pieces of the soft fluffy bread, and I think it would be great for breakfast too.  I imagine you could toast or warm it, but I didn't find that necessary.  Very simple, but very enjoyable.  High 4/5.

They also make a loaf in a chocolate version (with cocoa-hazelnut filling and dark chocolate glaze), one with azuki red beans and pork floss (!), another one with coconut milk filling and coffee crumble topping, and a more plain one.

Dirty Bun. $8.49.

"Flaky pastry filled with rich chocolate cream, topped with a layer of green matcha powder."

Next is the dark one, the dirty bun. 

The bread itself had reasonable cocoa flavor, not super dark, but definitely chocolatey, and was standard Asian style slightly sweet bread.  As a day-old, it was a touch stale, but I can't blame them for that.  The chocolate cream filling was fantastic, great chocolate pudding flavor, and it added the strong hit of chocolate I was looking for.  The shards of dark chocolate that flaked off the top were high quality and delightful too.  4/5, good execution of a chocolate cream bun.

They also make a matcha version of this.

Butter Caramel Egg Tart. $4.99.

"Crafted with a rich 1:1.8 egg-to-milk ratio, the custard center is exceptionally silky and smooth. Hand-laminated pastry ensures long-lasting crispness, while the caramel sauce is slow-cooked by hand for deep, layered flavor."

And finally, hiding in the back, a hunk of the egg tart, which is nothing like any egg tart I've ever had before.  In fact, I had to search through the menu, and ask my friend who got it what this was, as it didn't seem possible it was the egg tart.  But it was.  And, she said it was massive, this was just a tiny hunk.  But if you had asked me what it was, I would have told you a creme brulee inside a croissant/danish crust.  

So yeah, what we had was a thick laminated pastry base, formed into a shell.  It wasn't flaky exactly, perhaps as it was a day old, but it was very well laminated, and clearly high butter.  The flavor was fabulous.  A very good pastry, just on its own.

But that filling!  Zomg.  Such a rich custard.  I guess, yes, an 1:1.8 egg to milk ratio does it as they say.  It was so thick and rich.  But not eggy at all. Sweet but not too sweet.  Really, really fantastic.  

Put it all together, and this one just hit all the high marks.  I think my favorite of the items I tried, and definitely the most dessert-like, 4.5/5.

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The Club, SFO

Update Review, December 2025 Visit

I was only able to spend about 10 minutes in The Club because the line was SOOOO long when I first arrived at SFO (11:30am), it was SOOOO long when I checked back about 45 minutes later, and they no longer seem to do a waitlist?  So I gave up, went to the Alaska lounge, walked around the terminal, and then noticed there was shockingly no line right before my boarding time.  I still went in just to check it out, and use the bathroom at least.

Not much seemed to have changed since my last visit, although it was entirely full (literally I couldn't find a seat even if I wanted one), and the buffet had a long line.  I peeked and saw the same standard lineup of salads, pickled stuff, and Chinese main dish.  Spinach and artichoke dip with chips seemed to be an addition.  Same snack mixes near the water station as previous visits.  The bar no longer stocks additional (better) ones.

I grabbed a dessert, used the bathroom, and left.  Oh, and yes, the coffee maker was still out of service.  At least the elevator worked.

Pumpkin Spice Carrot Cake.

I was interested to see the dessert offering of the day, carrot cake, but, pumpkin spiced, and topped with seemingly both cream cheese frosting AND whipped cream.  Not that I'm one to say no to doubling up on creamy toppings, and often do ice cream and whipped cream, or frosting and ice cream, but it sorta looked like they took their default "put whipped cream on top" move and didn't really think about what they were doing.  It also was just kinda a mess, each little bowl had a different blob, different size mounds, differing amount of frosting.  And each one was about two bites at most.  It looked really quite haphazard and a mess.

As for how it was?  Well, better than their previous desserts, actually.  Relatively moist, had some stuff in it like bits of nuts.  Decent carrot flavor, and I was happy to not taste any pumpkin spice flavor (as I don't care for nutmeg in particular).  Very mild spicing if any really.  The cream cheese frosting was thick and fine, the little bit of whipped cream I guess a bonus.

So, not remarkable, but not bad, and I was happy to take several, as one was really truly just two bites.  Higher 3/5.

Update Review, June 2025 Visit

Another pass through SFO, another visit to The Club (after of course lining up to get on the waitlist, and waiting 20 or so minutes to get in).  I again utilized the private workout studio as it was entirely free during my time there, and that was such a fantastic break from the airport (see my initial review below).  The food was pretty meh, but I was happy enough with the wine and snacks, and really, just to use the space.

Chalk Hill Red Blend.

"Juicy and full-bodied, aromas of red fruits and baking spices."

There were 3 red wines available: a blend, a Pinot, or a cab.  I assumed the blend was my best bet.

It was a decent wine, not memorable, but not bad.  I didn't take notes at the time, but I recall thinking it was fine, and better than most US lounge wines.  ***.

Fermentation Station.

The seasonal fermentation area had four different pickled things.  I had them all.  They were fine but not great.  Good crunch, mediocre flavor. ***.

Golden Ponzu Chicken and Roasted Cauliflower.

"Crispy chicken, roasted cauliflower, carrots, red cabbage, cilantro in a ponzu-teriyaki sauce."

The Asian hot dish this time was another battered fried chicken, this time with some cauliflower too.  It all sounded like things I'd like, but the flavor was really just odd and not good.  I didn't enjoy this.  *+.

Spicy Buffalo Snack Mix.

I discovered a secret!  Out in the buffet area, near the drink station, there is just a mediocre dried fruit/nut snack mix, but behind the bar, the bartenders have not one, not two, but three different snack mixes!!!  A spicy version, a cajun version, and a sweet version.  I went for the spicy buffalo, although I'd love to do a trio tasting sometime :)

I believe this is the "Buffalo Stampede" mix from Truly Good Foods (as they supply all their snack mixes).  

Buffalo Stampede

"The smoky and spicy snack mix you’ve been searching for."

It was a perfectly good snack mix.  Slightly spicy.  Not too stale.  Good mix of textures.  My portion was dominated by the everything sticks, but I did find one of the buffalo nuts (coated spiced peanuts) and a few of the very tasty and unexpected butter toasted peanuts.  There were also a few average smoked almonds, and some fascinating looking green sticks that turned out to be ... guacamole bites.  Doh.  I'm allergic to avocado.  And yes, this did actually have avocado in it, because my lips started puffing up, and I was confused what I possibly ate to cause that ... until I sat down to write this review and looked up the snack mix.

Anyway, nice mix of mostly slightly spicy and interesting flavors and textures, but it won't be a repeat for me because of the guac obviously.  ***.  I'm so happy to have discovered that they have snack mixes behind the bar though!

Golden Vanilla Chai Custard.

"Chai spice infused custard, topped with cookie crumble, and blueberries."

I was excited to see what looked like a homemade dessert, rather than the pretty horrible clearly frozen food service bars that previously were on offer.

However, this was only marginally more edible.  The custard was thick and gloopy, just a strange consistency.  It was warm, as in, room temperature, and not very pleasant.  It did have aggressive chai spices (which, I didn't really care for).  The "cookie crumble" seemed like bits of Nature Valley Oats N Honey granola bars, definitely not cookie.  The blueberries were soft and soggy.  It had promise, but, alas. *.

Chocolate White Chip Cookie.

The lady next to me was *really* into these cookies.  She loved how soft they were, and was packing up multiple ziplock bags full of them, blatantly.  No one seemed to stop her, but, wow, I think she honestly took at least a dozen.  She really liked them, enough to inspire me to try.

They were ... pretty average generic cookies.  Yes, fairly soft, and well baked, and yes, they had big white chocolate chips in them, but the flavor wasn't particularly compelling for me, just a kinda one note deep cocoa.  Low ***.

Update Review, January 2025 Visit

This was my second visit to The Club, my previous was in August right after they opened (see below).  My feelings on the place are largely the same: nice space (although the tables are very close together), annoying wait list (and wait to get on the wait list, and then wait to get in once you get called back, etc), mediocre food.  At least the elevator was finally working, and I did check out some of the amenity spaces this time, and they really are nice.

Amenities

I knew the Club had a few reservable amenities, such as showers, private meeting rooms, and a yoga studio, but I did not investigate them last time.  This time, I scanned the QR code on my table, and saw the yoga studio reservations were wide open, so I figured it might be novel to check out.  It really was a nice escape, and I'd gladly do it again.

Lululemon Studio

Bookings are for 30 minute slots.  You check in with an "escort" who brings you to the room, and hands you a tablet with the app on it.  The app has a variety of workouts to pick from - the expected yoga, but also strength training classes and many that require equipment ... that they don't have.  So that was a bit odd.  The app is connected to the special mirror, which is where the class actually plays (you don't just watch it on the tablet).

Open Space.

The space is actually fairly large, and reasonably nicely decorated.  There are two separate Lululemon mirrors, but I'm not sure if they do multiple bookings at a time.  I was in there solo and really appreciated having such privacy.  Not that SFO is a busy hectic airport in general, its quite easy to find private space, but this was another level of my own tranquil space.

The Mirror.

I selected a barre workout, and got started.  The mirror showed the workout, the sound played from there, it also showed my class progress, and estimated calorie burn, while also being an actual mirror to watch my own alignment.  Kinda cool.

Water, Mats, Etc.

The room had only a few props available - yoga mats and yoga blocks, along with towels and spa water.  No weights or other equipment that many of the classes required.

Food & Drink - Mid-Day

The food lineup was largely the same as my visit back in August, even though it had been nearly 6 months.  They clearly don't rotate the menu much.  It was all pretty average lounge food, not really as nice as the space implied it might be.

No Coffee.

There are two coffee machines.  Both were broken.  The bar does not have an additional machine.  There was carafes of drip coffee, regular only, available instead.  At 2pm, I really wanted decaf, but it was not an option.  Not even instant.

Breads.

The breads are not labelled.  I read a review from someone else who tried the middle bread, thinking it was like the others (e.g. sandwich/toast sliced bread, because this area was labelled "local breads with toppings", and the toaster was next to this display), but was very surprised to find it was ... pound cake.  Like, sweet dessert style cake.  Not really bread.

And so, curious about it myself, I tried it.  Indeed.  It was pound cake.  Thin sliced like for toast though, so it looked like regular bread, but, definitely was not.  It tasted kinda stale and just very processed.  I did not enjoy it.  I don't think jam or cream cheese (the available less savory spreads) would have helped. *+. 

Pickled Stuff & Spreads.

I gave the pickled stuff another try, and tried a pickled carrot.  It was nicely al dente, but otherwise not interesting.

Salads.

The same two salads as my previous again, now with an additional chicken noodle salad.

I didn't try the California Cabernet salad it as looked soggy, overdressed, and loaded with feta, so not likely to be a success for me.  I tried the others.

The black rice and kale salad was also over dressed, and too sweet, and no longer had the peas I enjoyed last time.  I tried a bit of the cabbage and noodles but avoided the chicken, it was mediocre too. Basically, pretty generic lounge quality here.  **.

Coconut Curry.

The same vegetarian coconut curry was there from my previous visit, now with bulk rice, which seemed to work much better than last time when they had the rice pre-plated in small individual bowls.

Fruit & Wrap.

I didn't try the vegetarian wrap that had hummus as I don't care for it, and couldn't have any fruit because I'm allergic to melons.

Beef & Broccoli Teriyaki

The one major change from my previous visit was the hot protein dish changed from orange chicken with broccoli to beef teriyaki with broccoli.  And again the improvement with large format rice rather than individual bowls.

I did try the broccoli, and it was well cooked, not too mushy, but the sauce was really quite greasy.  **.

Dessert.

The dessert lineup still had the same brownies as my previous visit, but the awful strawberry mound was replaced with lemon squares.

I tried both.  The brownie was dense, chocolatey, pretty generic.  Fine, but nothing special.  

The lemon square had a tasty enough shortbread crust (and I intentionally took a corner piece with extra!).  I don't actually really like lemon desserts, so the fact that the layer above the thick crust didn't have much flavor was a win for me, but it certainly wasn't very lemon-y, and that layer was kinda just soft mush that was quasi-sweet.  I really did like the crust though. *** crust, * rest, ** overall.

Snack Mix: Healthy Trails.

2 of the same snack mix jars were there from my previous visit, one with dried fruit/nuts, and one with gummy bears, but a new one was also added, dubbed "healthy trails".  However, I believe this label was wrong, as that is the indeed the name of a Truly Good Snacks mix (and the brand The Club locations use nationwide) but ... the items in this really didn't match.

Healthy trails is described as "A classic trail mix blend of raisins, roasted almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds.nuts. It is all natural and only roasted, not salted."  But this was clearly granola, and it had some goodies hiding within, like clearly glazed walnuts and ...

Snack Mix.

Yogurt pretzels!  There were just a few lurking within the jar, but, I was happy to discover those.  They were standard, average yogurt pretzels, but I really do enjoy them.

The glazed nuts were less glazed tasting than they looked.  They were fairly bitter.  Granola was granola.  Mild spicing.

Overall, not a mix I found myself wanting to munch on as finger food (besides the pretzels) but made a decent granola.  Low ***.

Original Review, August 2024

It finally opened.  The Club, at San Francisco International Airport, in the newer section of Terminal 1.  for Priority Pass members, at long last, a club we could use.  Or, theoretically at least.

Setting

The Club is located close to the entrance to the main wing of the terminal.  If you visit at what seems to be most times of day, it won't be hard to spot: just look for the line.  Access issues aside, it is a relatively large lounge.  In addition to the dining spaces I focus my review on, they did have a kid's play area, and some private work areas, along with a wellness area that was locked.

The Line!

Well, all the early reviews were right.  Expect wait times.  This ... was the line to get in the front door midday during the week.  Once through the door, you got in another line.  That line was just to put your name on a waitlist (!).  You then get a text when your spot is ready, and it is held for 10 minutes.

I waited in line for 20 minutes to put my name on a list.  I was quoted 30 mins wait at that point, but got my text within 20 minutes.  But yes, expect a line.

Fire Pit.

Inside, right at the top of the stairs when you enter, is a lovely fire pit.  It was the only area in the lounge not heavily used.  It looks great, but lacks tables or electricity, so sadly underutilized.

Seating.

The rest of the space is basically one huge room, with assorted styles of table seating, or arm chairs with side tables.

Yes, the ceiling is cool.

Bar.

I didn't visit the bar, but it was an attractive looking space.

Live Action Station.

It wasn't available during the daytime, only in the morning, but there was a live action station that serves breakfast sandwiches in the morning.

Food & Drink

The food and drink offering were pretty standard for a US domestic lounge.  Interestingly, no salad bar (just pre-made salads) and only one soup.  I've always thought that basic salad offerings and 2 soups was kinda standard fare.  There were two hot entrees.  No sandwiches, although signs indicated that there should be.  Two desserts.  Two snack mixes.  All fairly low end average quality.

Coffee / Tea.

No barista station (that I saw) in this lounge, but brewed coffee and tea bags were available self-serve.

Water Tap.

No water bottles or flavored water infusions are available, but there is a water tap with still, sparkling, or hot water.

There was also a soda dispenser with basic soft drinks.

Snacks.

No classic snack mix, but instead California Mix with assorted nuts and dried fruit, and gummy bears.

Breads.

Several types of bread, with a toaster on the side.  Basic spreads were located further down.

Soup.

There was a single soup of the day, along with some garnishes.

Fermented Station.

I eagerly tried a few of the pickled things.  The carrots were mushy and way too soft (and didn't taste pickled ...).  The radish wasn't quite as soft, but it certainly lacked any snap or crispness.  Cornichons were standard.

California Cabernet Chopped Salad.

"California kale chopped salad with cauliflower florets, sunflower seeds, tomatoes, and ricotta tossed in a Cabernet vinaigrette."

I really liked the idea of this salad, as I love curly kale as a base, I enjoy cooked cauliflower in salads, and of course, yay for tomatoes in season in summer, and ricotta for creaminess and sunflower seeds for crunch.  But it wasn't as good in practice as it seemed it would be.  It was heavily dressed, and I think had been made quite a while before, as it was pretty soggy.  The cooked cauliflower was rather soft, not roasted or lightly charred as I had hoped.  The tomatoes were tiny tiny bits, entirely lost in the rest of the mix.  It was ok, but just not great, and really suffered from the dressing (I also probably liked it even less as I don't care for vinaigrettes in general).  

Low *** for being well thought out at least.

Peas and Black Rice Salad.

"Black rice served with sheared English peas, fresh radish, and tossed in tarragon dressing."

Next up was another composed salad, also with a kale base.  This one was also over dressed, but less soggy, and everything else in it was great.  The radishes were crisp and sharp, the peas lightly sweet and not too soft, and the rice added nice texture.

I really enjoyed this one.  ****.

This area was also supposed to have a vegetarian wrap, but I never saw any during my 45 minute stay.

Curry.

There were two hot entrees, the first was a vegetarian coconut based curry.  I didn't try it.

Rice.

People waited a long time for rice, needed for the curry or the other hot entree.  It was entirely out the first few times I went by the buffet.  They definitely are having issues keeping the buffet full.  (I suspect switching to large format self-serve rice would make things better?  Curious why the entrees themselves are large format, but the rice isn't?).

Orange Chicken with Broccoli.

I'd been craving Panda Express when I visited the lounge, so I was pretty excited when a batch of the orange chicken was brought out about 30 minutes into my visit (it was missing previously).  The chicken looked, um ... suspect let's just say, as it looked more like gnocchi?  As one who doesn't actually like chicken anyway, I wasn't too upset by this.

The broccoli was large hunks, reasonably well cooked.  The chicken balls actually did have real chicken in them, just, lots of breading, and an unusual appearance.  The sauce coated everything well.  But ... the sauce was also very sweet and one-note.  This just wasn't all that good, and made me crave Panda Express even more.  **.

Fruit.

Fresh fruit on offer, even in the middle of summer was ... melons.  Not even very ripe looking ones at that.  I skipped due to allergy anyway.

Desserts.

I was happy to see a US domestic lounge that had a dessert offering other than just cookies or brownies.  Yes, they *did* have little brownies, but also an item dubbed "strawberry shortcake". 

Strawberry Shortcake: 

"With whipped vanilla cream and fresh strawberries."

When I think of strawberry shortcake, I think of a sweet biscuit, topped with macerated berries, and whipped cream.  I know some people believe angel food cake is also an acceptable base (I am not one of those people).  But I certainly think of some kind of base sweet carb topped with fresh albeit sweetened berries.  This dessert was clearly not that.  But still, I tried.

It was really quite odd.  Balls that seemed like they had been scooped with an ice cream scoop of mushed cake and some cream.  Drizzled with a cloying sweet very fake berry sauce.  No actual strawberries, despite what the menu card said.  It tasted highly artificial, and the fake flavor that strawberry sauce was impossible to get past.  Hard pass. *.

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